


Today You Are A Man

by mvernet



Series: Sentinel Thursday Prompt Fics [9]
Category: The Sentinel
Genre: BAMF Darryl, Drunk Jim, Drunk Simon, M/M, Prompt Fic, Prompt Rite of Passage, Sentinel Thursday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-25
Updated: 2018-07-25
Packaged: 2019-06-16 03:57:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15428520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mvernet/pseuds/mvernet
Summary: Blair has finally achieved his Doctorate and Major Crimes celebrates.Prompt fic for Sentinel Thursday Live Journal. Prompt, Rite Of Passage.





	Today You Are A Man

Doctor Sandburg sat at a cozy table at Major Crimes latest favorite bar. One in which Cascade’s finest detectives had not caused a scene or a riot. Blair let out a brief chuckle. The night was still young.

Blair was nursing a drink and fingering his swiss army knife in his pocket like buddhist prayer beads. The warmth he felt had nothing to do with alcohol consumption. He had a covert mission going with the bartender. Blair’s drinks were to be non-alcoholic while he watched his friends celebrate his achievement. Once an observer always an observer. 

Blair had finally won the right to be called Doctor. Blair still wasn’t sure how he felt about those prestious letters being added to his name. But his friends were exhibiting how they felt. Proud, happy and more than ready to celebrate all things Sandburg. That was why his heart was warm and the bar felt cozy.

“Where’s my boy got to?” Simon wanted to know. Blair smiled. He was loving drunk Simon. Blair had started the night as Doctor Sandburg and was now Simon’s adopted son as close as his own boy, Darryl. 

Darryl was the only one to keep his head as all around him freaked out after Blair’s disastrous news conference and the violent take down of Major Crimes. The night at the hospital when Simon was clinging to life, Darryl had become a man and Blair had witnessed his rite of passage.

Blair observed as Darryl sat with his father and badgered the nurses for updates, making sure Simon was comfortable and well cared for. When his mother and paternal grandmother arrived, he made sure they had coffee and snacks, holding his Grandma as she cried for her son. Making sure his mom did nothing to upset the elderly woman or his dad's friends.

When Simon had offered Blair a badge, Darryl had arrived to pick up his dad. He had gotten his provisional license on his own due to his fierce determination to help his dad get around to physical therapy and doctor's appointments. When he figured out what was going on he went ballistic. Darryl the man, took on Simon and Jim standing up to them on Blair’s behalf.

_Flashback_

“Dad! I can’t believe you! Offering Blair a badge? He’s an Anthropologist. A brilliant Anthropologist! Do you think everyone under your command is brain dead? We all know Jim’s a Sentinel and Blair’s his Guide. Why are you all afraid to admit it?”

Darryl turned angry eyes on Jim. “You! You’re afraid your secret will get out? I thought you were a man! A man doesn’t let his friend take a dive for him. He stands up, and faces his fears. I was taught to never live in fear. To not let fear dictate my actions. What I’m seeing is Blair is the only man here. Can’t you see he’s sacrificed himself? Why can’t we tell the truth for a change and celebrate what you are, Jim. What Blair is. While you’re at it maybe you should come out of that closet for two you call a loft and get real!”

After Darryl’s passionate entreaty everything changed. Simon, Jim and Blair told the Commissioner the truth and Cascade PD had rallied round the odd pair in their midst, making it a team effort to undo the harm done and protect Jim and Blair. The Commissioner himself took on Ranier and had Blair exonerated and his doctorate studies extended. When Blair’s sacrifice was made known to the force in general, his brothers and sisters in blue had opened their closed society and allowed him free access. Strangely enough, the Sentinel/Guide mystique trumped the gay cop stigma and they were accepted as a couple in all ways. He felt as if he had faced yet another rite of passage when Jim finally professed his love.

_End Flashback_

Blair continued to worry his knife. He remembered when Rabbi Goldblum had given it to him. “A man should always carry a knife, Blair. A man should always be ready to act when others can’t.”

Blair never really knew what the Rabbi meant. The crazy old man was as likely to quote Nirvana lyrics as The Torah, but he took Blair to his heart and blessed his young life with heartfelt prayers before Blair moved on as always. To Blair the knife was an outward sign that he had passed an ancient rite of passage himself and become a man. Whenever Jim absently asked to borrow his knife, he could feel the old Rabbi touch his cloth covered head in benediction. “Today you are a man.” Blair shook his head to end his musings. 

Simon and Jim had found him, although he was hiding in plain sight. The rest of the gang were turned on their barstools munching peanuts and enjoying the show. Simon used a cane since the shooting, so he and Jim were holding each other up and not doing a very good job of it. They stumbled to Blair’s table. The two extremely happy campers slid into the chairs on either side of Blair and cosied up to him. Simon flung an arm around his shoulder.

“There you are, son. My son the doctor!” Simon laughed at his own joke. Jim leaned back and almost toppled his chair. Blair steadied him and cried out, “Whoa, there cowboy! You two been saddlin’ up to the bar mighty frequently tonight!”

Simon was still the more eloquent of the two, Jim seeming to have settled in to play with Blair’s curls. “Son. I’m sooooooo proud. You’re like my son you know? I love you like my own, son.”

Blair smiled with a twinkle in his eye. “Thanks, pops. I love you too. But you know, seriously, the way Darryl turned out I wish I really had a dad like you.” 

Too late Blair realized he had said the wrong thing, at least the wrong thing to say to his inebriated boss. Jim had moved on to taste and snuffle Blair’s neck and now Simon was sniffling at his shoulder overcome with emotion. Blair patted Simon’s back while trying not to react to Jim biting his earlobe and sucking his earrings into his mouth. Blair could hear snickering from the bar and knew he’d get no help from that quarter. He looked up to see a very amused Darryl tossing his car keys in the air a brilliant grin on his face.

“Come to pick up the old man, bro. I should be able to get a new PS2 out of this little performance! You need help with Jim Dandy there?”

“Naaaa, Daryll. I’ll get Joel to help me pour Jim into the truck.”

They both shared a laugh, man to man.


End file.
